Online Creative Writing Masterclass: Arvon

The Black Poets Masterclass Series

From left to right, side by-by-side photos of Dzifa Benson, Anthony Joseph, Karen McCarthy Woolf and Jason Allen-Paisant

‘I’m excited about this project because it’s a rare opportunity to focus a close eye on contemporary African poetry and to acknowledge how much an African sensibility has contributed to poetry in English.

— Dzifa Benson

Introducing the Black Poets Masterclass Series
A series of lectures exploring the rich canon of black poets in Africa, the Caribbean, the UK and USA.

Arvon is proud to be partnering with Obsidian, RSL, The National Poetry Library and The Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society to host The Black Poets Masterclass Series.

Each month from May to December 2023, four award-winning poets will explore four distinct areas of the Black poetry canon, looking at Black writers past and present from Africa, the US, the Caribbean and the UK.

Join us over the course of 8 months for a deep dive into the Black poetry canon, equipping you to explore what a decolonised poetry canon might look like and future-proofing the names of Black poets at risk of being forgotten. The first session with Dzifa Benson on 11 May is FREE!

Thereafter, each session is £17.50 with half-price concessions and fully funded places available. The series is not-for-profit and everyone is welcome. We encourage anyone in a position to do so to pay-it-forward by paying the full price. Any profits from the series will fund a bursary for Black writers to come on an Arvon residential of their choice in 2024.

No courses or retreats found.